Tongatapu Tour
We took a couple days to get checked in with the Tongan officials, rest and reprovision. The weekend was coming up and Saturday was looking…
Passage Moments
Not everyday, but as we approached Latitude 25, and again between Minerva and Tonga, we had some squally conditions. It took our full concentration, watching…
South Minerva Reef
We arrived at the South Minerva Reef on May 6th. North and South Minerva are atolls about 18 miles apart, set roughly 800 miles from…
Birds on Passage
As we leave New Zealand we see numerous seabirds like gannets and petrels but as we get further from land, encounters are less frequent. A…
Social Side of Bay of Islands
Lots of cruisers were now assembled in Opua looking for a window for sailing north to the tropics or west to Australia. A few informal…
Cape Reinga
We took a Saturday off from boat jobs and drove from the Bay of Islands to Cape Reinga. It took a long time (about 4…
Boat Projects (Opua)
We headed north to the Bay of Islands, anchoring for a night midway at Mimiwhangata Bay. Don’t get tired of the Mauri names! WARNING: For…
Boat projects (Whangarei)
Living the dream does require some work now and then. Here’s what goes on to keep Whistler in offshore cruising condition. First on the agenda…
Coromandel & Great Barrier Island
Leaving Waiheke Island for the Coromandel, we had sun but no wind so we motored across the Hauraki Gulf. We anchored in Te Kouma Harbour,…
Waiheke Island Visit
From Auckland, it was a pretty easy day trip to Waiheke Island. We sailed around the western shore and anchored in Oneroa Bay. After reading…